First the bad news: If you haven’t booked a holiday trip in the tropics yet, you’re probably out of luck. Hotels in the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii filled up faster than usual this year, thanks to Mother Nature. The good news? The world is a big place, and there are plenty of other amazing destinations with room for your end-of-year celebrations. We’ve chosen four unconventional spots that have availability over Christmas and/or New Year’s. And we guarantee your January water-cooler chat will be more interesting than “I sat on a beach.”
We get it—thinking about Spring Break right now, when holiday travel has barely begun, seems bizarre. But we guarantee that once you spend a few days escaping the early-winter blues, you’ll start thinking about your next sun-soaked getaway—and you’ll be glad if those March plans were already in place. That’s why we’ve identified a few places that, if you book now, will bring that enviable combo of higher temperatures and lower rates. Whether your Spring Break involves kids or not, here are a few places to consider.
Not to deny Barcelona’s many cosmopolitan charms (or pounce on its recent political turmoil), but I’ve always found Madrid to be the more alluring Spanish city. With its beaches, its sinuous Gaudí buildings, its cafés tucked away in the Gothic Quarter’s cobblestoned labyrinth, Barcelona seems too easy to fawn over—just note the roaming packs of visitors on Las Ramblas. On the other hand, Madrid, while hardly immune to tourism, somehow feels populated less by foreigners and more by Madrileños. These lucky souls live their everyday lives in a city filled monumental architecture, casually superb restaurants and a veritable trove of art. My partner and I recently spent a week moving among them.
At Skylark, even our interns travel well. Our own Alex Swanson, who while not toiling in our New York City HQ is studying for a degree in classics and history at Columbia University, recently returned from an enchanting trip to Athens, the homeland of democracy. He found a city brimming with both history and a colorful contemporary spice, plus a Mediterranean brand of luxury that’s one of Europe’s best steals. Here are his favorite ruins and reminiscences.
Winter is coming… and it’s time to get packing. Many people assume December is always peak season travel—and the Christmas rush certainly brings higher prices and more crowds. But early December is a travel sweet spot: rates are lower but most destinations are already steeped in the holiday spirit. Here are a few of our favorite spots to send clients in December—paired with impressive deals at top luxury hotels.
Have you seen that photograph of former President Obama, wearing shades, sipping a coconut and looking cool as a cucumber? That shot was taken during O’s summer vacation in Bali, and if he can go to the Island of Gods to chillax, so can you. With a year-round tropical climate, scenic beaches, emerald rice paddies and holistic spa treatments, Bali kind of makes it impossible not to relax—no matter what kind of traveler you are. We’ve broken down some of the top resort options by their overall vibe. All you have to do is choose your spot and crack open a coconut.
Thanksgiving with the family agaaaaain? Are you really looking forward to dry, stringy turkey (great job, Mom), drunken political arguments (really, Uncle Bob??) and interminable football games (sorry in advance, Giants fans)? Maybe this is the year to get away from the extended family… by just getting away. Here are a few alternate destinations for Turkey Day: three traditional feasts in the good ol’ USA and three food-centric spots abroad if you want to get your expatriate on.
P.S. If you actually love spending time with your family—we do!—why not take them with you?
As Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the rest of the Caribbean continue recovering from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, we are hearing from a lot of clients who want to know how they can help. Here’s how easy it is:
Step 1 : Donate to the USVI Hurricane Recovery effort, for which Skylark is helping raise funds in conjunction with the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands.
Step 2 : Plan your next trip to the Caribbean. Most of the islands in the region were either untouched by the storms or able to come back quickly. But since they rely heavily on tourism, the best way to help is to book a trip, spend some money and tell everyone else how beautiful and relaxing a Caribbean vacation still is.
Here are just a few of our favorite Caribbean resorts that are ready to go for peak season:
Jessica Ware is Skylark’s head of marketing and partnerships and our managing editor, but we know her around the office as the official hat rack (we’re a start-up—we all wear many hats.) We allowed her a quick trip to Paris, and after coming out of her butter and carb-induced coma, she’s ready to give her report.